Trump’s former lawyers: Judge Emil Bove swears in Attorney General Todd Blanche at the White House

By Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN

(CNN) — Todd Blanche was sworn in as attorney general on Monday in an Oval Office ceremony led by his former Donald Trump defense-team colleague, Judge Emil Bove.

The swearing-in was held without press access. Blanche’s family members, including his wife, daughter and granddaughter, attended. Blanche told CNN he was “feeling good” as he left the Justice Department Monday for the White House.

Bove’s history with Blanche — and at the Justice Department — make his role in the ceremony notable.

After he and Blanche worked together on Trump’s defense, both were appointed to senior positions within the Justice Department. Bove was acting deputy attorney general before Blanche was confirmed in 2025, then Blanche’s top deputy. He now serves as federal appeals court judge.

At the department, Bove quickly earned a reputation as Trump’s hatchet man, leading the first waves of mass ousting’s of career prosecutors and other department officials. In one notable episode, Bove axed several prosecutors in New York and Washington, DC, who refused to sign their names to court documents dropping corruption charges against former New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

President Donald Trump nominated Bove to the 3rd US Circuit Court of Appeals in May 2025. His confirmation hearings were rife with allegations from Democratic lawmakers that Bove was behind the most political efforts inside the department at the time, including efforts to ignore judge’s rulings and to pressure prosectors to move forward with the president’s personal agenda.

FBI Director Kash Patel and Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff for policy, also attended the swearing in.

Blanche was confirmed as attorney general early Saturday morning in a 50–49 Senate vote. Two GOP senators, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, joined Democrats in opposing the nomination.

Blanche has played a key role in reshaping the Justice Department to align more closely with the president’s agenda. He has advanced legal arguments that expand presidential authority and strengthen protections for the presidency and overseen large-scale firings of experienced prosecutors and longtime officials, and spearheaded a legal strategy that has made judges across the nation question the department’s decisions.

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